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Philosophy Mind & Body

Persons — What Philosophers Say about You

2nd edition

by (author) Warren Bourgeois

Publisher
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2003
Category
Mind & Body, Existentialism, Humanism
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780889209466
    Publish Date
    Jan 2006
    List Price
    $48.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780889203792
    Publish Date
    Apr 2003
    List Price
    $51.99

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

Can a person suffer radical change and still be the same person?
Are there human beings who are not persons at all?
Western philosophers, from the ancient Greeks to contemporary thinkers, gave the concept of “person” great importance in their discussions. They saw it as crucial to our understanding of our world and our place in it.
Prompted by tragedy — a loved one’s descent into dementia — Warren Bourgeois explored Western philosophical ideas to discover what constitutes a “person.” The first edition of Persons — What Philosophers Say About You was the result of his search. This new second edition focuses on making this material easily available and accessible to students, and has been redesigned as an introduction to the philosophy of mind and its history, concentrating on the central concept of “person” in contemporary controversies concerning abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, and human rights.
Bourgeois has mined Western philosophy for ideas students can apply today as technology challenges their beliefs about what we are. He then uses the concept of person to unite the various subdivisions of philosophy, applying theories of knowledge, reality and value to help students understand what we believe about ourselves. The result is a living philosophy and an “introductory text with a difference.”
While the ideas of the great philosophers cannot be meaningfully summarized in one introductory text, this book provides a comparison of what many of them say about the concept of person, and will encourage students to read further.

About the author

Warren Bourgeois received his doctorate at the University of California, Irvine and has lectured at the University of Salzburg, Austria, the University of California, San Diego and the University of British Columbia. He now teaches at Kwantlen College in Surrey, BC. He serves on the Ethics Committee of Surrey Memorial Hospital and is a Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association.

Warren Bourgeois' profile page

Editorial Reviews

Bourgeois is a mainstream analytical philosopher ... but his survey of the classical theories is highly comprehensive. He is particularly effective in relating metaphysical issues to ethical and social ones.

Canadian Book Review Annual, 2006